Christmas Songs on Instagram Reels and TikTok: What's Allowed

Published October 20, 202613 min readUpdated October 20, 2026

It is early December. You film a cozy clip of your shop, open the music picker, and search for the Christmas hit everyone knows. It isn't there. Or it plays fine, and two days later your video is silent.

That is not a glitch. Business accounts play by different music rules.

This guide answers the question owners ask every year, can my business use Christmas songs on Instagram Reels and TikTok, using Meta's and TikTok's own pages. You'll also get the carols that are free to use, a table of safe options, and a step-by-step.

Most businesses cannot use famous Christmas recordings on Reels or TikTok. Instagram says its licensed music is for personal, non-commercial use, and TikTok says businesses cannot use its general library. A business can use Meta's Sound Collection, TikTok's Commercial Music Library, a public-domain carol it records itself, a properly licensed track, or an original song.

Key takeaways

The big Christmas hits in the app music pickers are licensed for personal posts, not for businesses.

Instagram business accounts can use Meta's Sound Collection, and TikTok business accounts can use the Commercial Music Library.

TikTok's commercial sounds are cleared for TikTok only, so don't repost the same video to Reels with that sound.

Very old carols like "Jingle Bells" are free as songs, but most recordings and many arrangements are still owned.

An original song you hold the rights to, or a license that names every app, is what lets one video go everywhere.

A shop owner choosing a cleared Christmas music track for a vertical video on a phone

Can my business use Christmas songs on Instagram Reels?

Your business can use Christmas songs on Instagram Reels only if the music is cleared for commercial use, such as tracks in Meta's Sound Collection or music you have licensed yourself. The famous recordings in Instagram's main music library are meant for personal posts, not business posts.

Instagram's help page on its licensed music library states that "the music available in our library is intended for personal, non-commercial use". It says certain business accounts and post types get no access to the library at all, which is why your song is missing from the picker.

The fallback is Meta's Sound Collection, Meta's own library of royalty-free music and sound effects. The same help page says it has over 14,000 songs and sounds that are safe to use in Reels and Instagram Stories, and that the content can be used for commercial purposes such as ads. You find it by tapping Audio in the Reels camera, or through the music sticker in Stories.

The bigger rule sits in Meta's Music Guidelines (effective March 26, 2024). They say use of music for commercial or non-personal purposes is prohibited unless you have the right licenses.

So the question is not which account type you have. The question is whether the post promotes your business. A dentist's "book your winter cleaning" Reel is commercial on any account.

The same guidelines cover Facebook as well as Instagram. A Facebook Page post that promotes your business follows the same rule. The good news is that Sound Collection tracks travel inside Meta: the German retail association Händlerbund says they are cleared for commercial use on Meta's apps, including Instagram, Facebook and Threads (2026), but not on TikTok or YouTube.

Get a holiday song made about your business: start with a low first month → We write a short song about your business before every big holiday and turn it into a music video that ends on your logo. Cancel anytime.

What are TikTok's music rules for business accounts?

TikTok business accounts must use TikTok's Commercial Music Library for any commercial post, including organic videos, ads and branded content. TikTok's general music library, where most chart hits live, is not cleared for business use.

TikTok's Business Help Center says it directly: "Businesses cannot use the general music library for commercial usage." The Commercial Music Library (CML) is TikTok's pre-cleared library of about 1 million songs, free for businesses.

When a business account taps Add Sound, it only sees these "Commercial Sounds," according to TikTok's guide on how to use the Commercial Music Library. You can use them in organic posts or paid ads.

Three lines in the CML user terms matter most for a small business:

TikTok only. Videos with Commercial Sounds may only be posted or shared within TikTok. Commercial use outside TikTok is not permitted.
Some tracks cost extra. Tracks marked "Premium" may carry a fee, shown when you buy ad space.
Sounds can disappear. If TikTok loses the rights to a sound, it may mute or take down videos that use it.

If you want to use any other music on TikTok, TikTok's help page says to check with your legal team that you have a proper license. For most local businesses, that means staying inside the CML or using music you own.

Instagram vs TikTok: the rules side by side

Both apps give business accounts a smaller, cleared library and keep the big hits for personal posts. The details decide whether one video can go on both.

	Instagram and Facebook (Meta)	TikTok
Library for businesses	Meta's Sound Collection	Commercial Music Library
Size, per the company	Over 14,000 songs and sounds	About 1 million songs
Cost	Royalty free	Free, some Premium tracks may cost extra
OK in ads?	Yes, Meta says it can be used in ads	Yes, organic and paid
OK on other apps?	Meta apps only (Instagram, Facebook, Threads), not TikTok or YouTube	No. TikTok's terms say TikTok only
Famous Christmas hits?	In the personal library, not for business use	In the general library, not for business use
If rights change	Content may be blocked, muted or removed	TikTok may mute or take down the video

The safe habit: pick the sound inside Instagram for Instagram, and inside TikTok for TikTok.

Which Christmas songs are free to use, and which are not?

Very old carols such as "Jingle Bells," "Silent Night" and "Deck the Halls" are in the public domain as songs in the U.S., so anyone can perform them. Most recordings of those carols, many modern arrangements, and nearly every Christmas hit from 1931 onward are still owned by someone.

Public domain means the copyright has run out, so no one needs permission to use the work. The tricky part is that every recorded song has two copyrights. One covers the song itself (the melody and words). The other covers one particular recording of it, by one singer or band.

Each copyright has its own clock.

The Duke Center for the Study of the Public Domain reports that on January 1, 2026, works from 1930 and sound recordings from 1925 entered the U.S. public domain. For songs, only the compositions (the songs as written) enter, not later recordings of them.

According to the U.S. Copyright Office, U.S. recordings made before 1972 are protected for 95 years after first release, and recordings from 1923 to 1946 get 5 years more (100 in all). Recordings made since 1972 are protected even longer.

In practice, almost every Christmas recording you have heard on the radio is still protected.

Arrangements add one more trap. Ohio State University Libraries notes the usual tune for "The Twelve Days of Christmas" comes from a 1909 arrangement (old enough to be public domain now), while one well-known "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" arrangement dates from 1935 and may still be owned. The same 2018 guide lists "Winter Wonderland" (1934) as entering the public domain in 2030, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (1939) in 2035 and "Frosty the Snowman" (1950) in 2046.

Type of Christmas song	Examples	The song itself	Famous recordings	Safe in a business post?
Old carols	"Jingle Bells" (1857), "Silent Night" (1818), "Deck the Halls"	Public domain in the U.S.	Usually still owned	Only if you record it yourself or license a recording
Old song, newer arrangement	Some arrangements of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" (1935)	The arrangement may still be owned	Usually still owned	Check the arrangement first
Mid-century standards	"Winter Wonderland," "Rudolph," "Frosty"	Still under copyright	Still owned	No, not without a license
Modern hits	Chart songs from the 1990s on, like the one your customers hum in line	Under copyright	Owned by the label	No, not without a license

So the honest answer to "can I use the Mariah Carey song?" is no, not on a business post, unless it shows up in your app's business library or you buy a license. Both are unlikely for a small business.

What happens if you post a hit Christmas song anyway?

A business post with an unlicensed Christmas hit can be blocked, muted or removed, and the business can be held responsible for any claim. Meta and TikTok both say the risk sits with the account that posted.

Meta's Music Guidelines say content with music owned by someone else may be reviewed by the rights owner and blocked, muted or removed if the use is not authorized. If you believe you do have the rights, you can dispute the action from the notice you get.

Money can be at stake too. Katten, a U.S. law firm, notes that under the Copyright Act a rights owner can seek statutory damages of up to $30,000 per song, or $150,000 if the use was willful (2022).

TikTok's CML terms go further. They say users are responsible for claims that come from unlicensed use of the general music library, and must cover TikTok if a claim comes in.

Two popular workarounds don't fix the problem:

Switching to a personal account. The post still promotes your business, and Meta's rule is about commercial use, not the account label.
Adding the song in an outside editing app. The rights don't change because the music went in somewhere else.

A muted Reel in the second week of December is the real cost. The post loses its sound at the exact moment you need it, and there is little time to redo it before Christmas.

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ by country, so check with a lawyer before a large paid campaign.

Five safe ways to put Christmas music in a business video

The five safe choices are Meta's Sound Collection, TikTok's Commercial Music Library, a public-domain carol you record yourself, a track from a paid music library, or an original song made for your business. Each one has a trade-off in cost, Christmas feel and where you can post it.

Option	Cost	Works on Reels	Works on TikTok	Christmas feel	Watch out for
Meta's Sound Collection	Free	Yes, and on Facebook	No	Generic holiday tracks, no famous hits	Same tracks as many other businesses
TikTok Commercial Music Library	Free, some Premium tracks may cost extra	No, TikTok only	Yes	Large library, search for holiday moods	Can't reuse the sound on other apps
Public-domain carol you record yourself	Your time	Yes	Yes	Instantly Christmas	Use an old arrangement, keep your own recording file
Music library subscription, such as Epidemic Sound or Artlist	Monthly or yearly fee, check what the plan covers	Yes, if the license covers it	Yes, if the license covers it	Depends on the catalog	Read what the plan covers, keep the license
Original song for your business	Ranges from a cheap DIY tool to a studio fee (see the cost guide below)	Yes, with written rights	Yes, with written rights	Made for you, with your name in it	Get the rights in writing before you post

For real prices on the last row, see our guide to the cost of a custom Christmas song for business, which compares AI tools, freelancers, jingle studios and done-for-you options.

If the video lives on one app, that app's free library is fine. For one video everywhere, you need music you own or have licensed for every place.

Original songs take money or time, so get the rights in writing before your first post.

If you'd rather have one made, the Holiday Song Club writes a short, happy song about your business before each big holiday and turns it into an animated music video, about 15 to 30 seconds long, that ends on your logo. It comes in vertical 9:16 for Reels, TikTok, Shorts and Stories, with the words on screen. It starts with a low first month (see today's price on the page), and you can cancel anytime with one email.

Pro tip: search the business libraries for moods, not song titles. "Sleigh bells," "cozy winter" and "holiday piano" find more than the name of a hit ever will.

Hear example holiday songs for businesses like yours → Real estate agents, dentists, cafes, roofers and more.

How to add music to a business Christmas Reel or TikTok

Adding Christmas music safely takes six steps: decide where the video goes, pick the sound in each app's business library, post a separate version on each app, check ad placements, keep proof of the music source, and put the words on screen. The whole check takes a few minutes per video.

Step 1: Decide every place the video will run

Write down each place before you pick music: Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, your website, a paid ad, the TV in your waiting room. The list decides which music you can use.

Step 2: Pick the sound inside each app's business library

On Instagram, open the Reels camera, tap Audio and choose from what a business account sees. On TikTok, tap Add Sound and choose from Commercial Sounds.

Step 3: Post a separate version on each app

Upload the clip with no music, then add the sound inside each app. That way, a TikTok sound never ends up on Instagram, which TikTok's terms do not allow. A video downloaded from TikTok keeps its TikTok sound and watermark, so always re-upload from the original clip.

Step 4: Check Usable Placements before a TikTok ad

If you pick sounds in the TikTok Creative Center on a computer, look at the "Usable Placements" note on each track. TikTok's terms say a sound may only be used on the platforms listed there.

Step 5: Keep proof of where the music came from

Save a screenshot of the track name and library, or the license email if you paid for it. If a post ever gets flagged, that proof is what you use to dispute it.

Step 6: Put the words on screen

Some people scroll on mute, so add captions with your message and your name.

Say you run a dental office. You film the tree in reception, add a Sound Collection track on Instagram and a separate CML track on TikTok, and caption both "Last cleanings before the New Year." Same clip, two cleared posts.

Can you sing a public-domain carol yourself?

Yes, a business can sing or play an old public-domain carol itself in a business video, as long as you use the old melody and words and your own recording. The old song is free, and the recording belongs to the business because the business made it.

A piano teacher could play "Silent Night" in the studio, for example. Use the traditional version, not a famous singer's arrangement from the radio.

You can also write new words to an old public-domain tune. The tune is free, and your words are your own.

Don't do the same with a copyrighted song. New words on a protected melody still use that melody, so it needs permission. For more original lines by trade, see our Christmas jingle ideas for business.

Automated systems can flag a home recording of an old carol by mistake. If that happens, Meta lets you dispute it from the notice.

Frequently asked questions

Is it okay to use just a few seconds of a Christmas song?

No. Short clips are not automatically allowed. Meta recommends shorter music clips to lower the chance of a block, but its Music Guidelines also say nothing in them gives you permission to use music. A business still needs a license, or a track from the app's business library.

Does giving credit to the artist make it legal?

No. A credit in the caption is not a license. Meta's Music Guidelines say commercial use of music needs the right licenses, and a caption credit doesn't provide one.

Can I repost my TikTok with a Commercial Music Library sound to Instagram?

Not with the same sound. TikTok's Commercial Music Library terms say videos with Commercial Sounds may only be posted within TikTok. Save the clip without music and add a sound from Meta's Sound Collection on Instagram instead.

Can I play Christmas music in the background while I film in my shop?

It is safer to turn the shop radio off while filming. Meta's Music Guidelines say content containing music owned by someone else can be blocked, muted or removed, and background music still counts as music in the video.

The short version

The famous hits in the Instagram and TikTok music pickers are licensed for personal posts, not for businesses. If you want Christmas songs on Instagram Reels and TikTok without a muted post, stay inside each app's business library, record an old public-domain carol yourself, license a track for every place it will run, or use an original song you hold the rights to.

Keep each app's sound inside that app, keep proof of where your music came from, and put your words on screen for people watching on mute. Then post early in December.

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Want a song about your business for every holiday?

Join the Holiday Song Club: before every big holiday we write a short song about your business and turn it into a vertical music video that ends on your logo. First month $7.95, then $37/month. Cancel anytime.

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